Page 1086 - ULYSSES

Ulysses

thronged to the doors to hear her with virtuosos, or
virtuosi rather. There was the unanimous opinion that
there was none to come up to her and suffice it to say in a
place of worship for music of a sacred character there was

a generally voiced desire for an encore. On the whole
though favouring preferably light opera of the Don
Giovanni description and Martha, a gem in its line, he had a
penchant, though with only a surface knowledge, for the
severe classical school such as Mendelssohn. And talking of
that, taking it for granted he knew all about the old
favourites, he mentioned par excellence Lionel’s air in
Martha, M’appari, which, curiously enough, he had heard
or overheard, to be more accurate, on yesterday, a
privilege he keenly appreciated, from the lips of Stephen’s
respected father, sung to perfection, a study of the
number, in fact, which made all the others take a back
seat. Stephen, in reply to a politely put query, said he
didn’t sing it but launched out into praises of Shakespeare’s
songs, at least of in or about that period, the lutenist
Dowland who lived in Fetter lane near Gerard the
herbalist, who anno ludendo hausi, Doulandus, an instrument
he was contemplating purchasing from Mr Arnold
Dolmetsch, whom B. did not quite recall though the
name certainly sounded familiar, for sixtyfive guineas and

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